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Semtech Corp.: Q4 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q4 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 16 March 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 1 raised, 10 new. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Record fiscal year sales, up 15%: Fiscal 2026 net sales were $1.05 billion against $909.3 million in fiscal 2025. Fiscal 2026 GAAP gross margin was 51.6%, up 140 basis points, and GAAP operating margin was 3.1%. Source
  • Record fourth-quarter net sales: Net sales were $274.4 million, up 3% from $267.0 million in the third quarter and up 9% from $251.0 million a year earlier. Source
  • Fourth-quarter GAAP operating loss: GAAP operating margin was (6.7)% in the fourth quarter, against 11.6% in the third quarter. Non-GAAP adjusted operating margin was 18.2% for the same quarter. Source
  • Adjusted operating margin of 18.2%: Non-GAAP adjusted operating margin was 18.2%, against 20.6% in the third quarter and 19.9% a year earlier. Fiscal 2026 adjusted operating margin was 19.1%, against 16.4%. Source
  • Fourth-quarter free cash flow rose: Operating cash flow was $61.5 million and net capital expenditures were $2.4 million, giving free cash flow of $59.1 million, against $44.6 million in the third quarter and $30.9 million a year earlier. Source
  • Fiscal 2026 free cash flow rose: Fiscal 2026 operating cash flow was $181.2 million and free cash flow was $171.4 million, against $58.0 million and $50.1 million in fiscal 2025. Net capital expenditures were $9.8 million. Source
  • First-quarter net sales guidance: Net sales for the first quarter of fiscal 2027 are projected at $283.0 million, plus or minus $5.0 million. Source

“We believe we are uniquely positioned as data center build out expands, with a broad set of solutions purpose-built for the 800G, 1.6T, and 3.2T era,”

Hong Hou, president and chief executive officer

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Net sales Sourcefirst quarter of fiscal year 2027$283.0 +/- $5.0 millionNew
Adjusted gross margin Sourcefirst quarter of fiscal year 202752.8% +/- 50 bpsNew
Adjusted operating expenses, net Sourcefirst quarter of fiscal year 2027$96.9 +/- $1.0 millionNew
Adjusted operating income Sourcefirst quarter of fiscal year 2027$52.5 +/- $3.0 millionNew
Adjusted operating margin Sourcefirst quarter of fiscal year 202718.6% +/- 70 bpsNew
Adjusted interest and other expense, net Sourcefirst quarter of fiscal year 2027$0.5 millionNew
Adjusted diluted earnings per share Sourcefirst quarter of fiscal year 2027$0.45 +/- $0.03New
Adjusted EBITDA Sourcefirst quarter of fiscal year 2027$59.5 +/- $3.0 millionNew
Adjusted EBITDA margin Sourcefirst quarter of fiscal year 202721.0% +/- 70 bpsNew
Non-GAAP diluted share count Sourcefirst quarter of fiscal year 202796.6New
Non-GAAP normalized tax rate Sourcefiscal year 202717%Raised from 15% (fiscal year 2026)

What changed from last quarter

  • New guidance: First guidance issued for the first quarter of fiscal 2027; the prior release gave guidance for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026. Source
  • Guidance raised: Projected non-GAAP normalized tax rate for fiscal 2027 is 17%, up from 15% for fiscal 2026. Source
  • New: Company description changed. The prior release described it as a provider of high-performance semiconductor, IoT systems and cloud connectivity service solutions. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Record fiscal year sales, up 15%: Fiscal 2026 net sales were $1.05 billion against $909.3 million in fiscal 2025. Fiscal 2026 GAAP gross margin was 51.6%, up 140 basis points, and GAAP operating margin was 3.1%. Source
  • Record fourth-quarter net sales: Net sales were $274.4 million, up 3% from $267.0 million in the third quarter and up 9% from $251.0 million a year earlier. Source
  • Fourth-quarter GAAP operating loss: GAAP operating margin was (6.7)% in the fourth quarter, against 11.6% in the third quarter. Non-GAAP adjusted operating margin was 18.2% for the same quarter. Source
  • Fourth-quarter adjusted EPS of $0.44: GAAP diluted loss per share was $0.32. Non-GAAP adjusted diluted EPS was $0.44, against $0.48 in the third quarter and $0.40 a year earlier. Source
  • Fiscal 2026 adjusted EPS of $1.71: GAAP diluted loss per share for fiscal 2026 was $0.46. Non-GAAP adjusted diluted EPS was $1.71, against $0.88 in fiscal 2025. Source

Segment performance

  • IoT Systems and Connectivity sales: Net sales were $89.9 million, against $88.3 million in the third quarter and $93.1 million a year earlier. Fiscal 2026 net sales were $353.9 million against $324.6 million. Source

“We continue to prudently balance capital deployment focused on research and development, capacity expansion and acquisitions, which we believe will yield a strong return for our shareholders.”

Mark Lin, executive vice president and chief financial officer

Margins and costs

  • GAAP operating expenses rose in Q4: GAAP operating expenses, net were $156.5 million, including a $42.8 million goodwill impairment and $1.8 million of intangible impairments. Third-quarter operating expenses were $107.4 million. Source
  • Adjusted operating expenses rose in Q4: Adjusted operating expenses, net were $91.5 million, against $86.5 million in the third quarter and $83.7 million a year earlier. Fiscal 2026 totaled $353.0 million. Source
  • Adjusted operating margin of 18.2%: Non-GAAP adjusted operating margin was 18.2%, against 20.6% in the third quarter and 19.9% a year earlier. Fiscal 2026 adjusted operating margin was 19.1%, against 16.4%. Source
  • Investment impairments in fourth quarter: Investment impairments and credit loss reserves, net were $10.4 million in the fourth quarter, with none in the third quarter. The item is reported below operating income. Source

Cash flow and balance sheet

  • Fourth-quarter free cash flow rose: Operating cash flow was $61.5 million and net capital expenditures were $2.4 million, giving free cash flow of $59.1 million, against $44.6 million in the third quarter and $30.9 million a year earlier. Source
  • Fiscal 2026 free cash flow rose: Fiscal 2026 operating cash flow was $181.2 million and free cash flow was $171.4 million, against $58.0 million and $50.1 million in fiscal 2025. Net capital expenditures were $9.8 million. Source
  • Interest expense lower than prior quarter: Interest expense, net was $1.0 million in the fourth quarter, against $26.2 million in the third quarter and $16.7 million a year earlier. Fiscal 2026 interest expense, net was $38.1 million, against $87.8 million. Source
  • Cash and inventories rose over year: Cash and cash equivalents were $195.2 million at January 25, 2026, against $151.7 million a year earlier. Inventories were $195.7 million, against $163.6 million. Source

“Fiscal year 2026 was a landmark year for Semtech, marked by strong revenue and earnings growth that reflect both the power of our portfolio and disciplined execution,”

Hong Hou, president and chief executive officer

Strategy and investment

  • Interconnect technology positioning: Management says continued research and development keeps the company at the forefront of next-generation optical and copper interconnect technologies for data center build-out. Source
  • Product development spending increased: Product development and engineering expense was $51.2 million in the fourth quarter, against $49.4 million in the third quarter and $46.7 million a year earlier. Fiscal 2026 expense was $196.3 million against $170.9 million. Source
  • Flexibility for strategic investments: Management cites a significantly stronger financial foundation as the basis for pursuing strategic investments in the next chapter of growth. Source

Guidance and reporting

  • First-quarter net sales guidance: Net sales for the first quarter of fiscal 2027 are projected at $283.0 million, plus or minus $5.0 million. Source
  • First-quarter earnings per share guidance: Adjusted diluted EPS is projected at $0.45, plus or minus $0.03, and adjusted EBITDA at $59.5 million, plus or minus $3.0 million, for the first quarter. Source
  • Non-GAAP tax rate rises to 17%: The projected non-GAAP normalized tax rate is 17% for fiscal 2027, applied to each quarter, against 15% applied in fiscal 2026. Source

Coming up, as management said on 16 March 2026

  • Form 10-K expected by March 26: The company expects to file its Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal 2026 on or before March 26, 2026. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Gross margin (GAAP) Source50.4% (Q4'26); 51.9% (Q3'26); 52.0% (Q4'25)
Adjusted gross margin (Non-GAAP) Source51.6% (Q4'26); 53.0% (Q3'26); 53.2% (Q4'25)
IoT Systems and Connectivity segment gross margin Source31.6% (Q4'26); 36.6% (Q3'26); 42.5% (Q4'25)

Risks management discussed

  • Financial: Management expects variability in charges excluded from non-GAAP measures to have a potentially significant effect on GAAP results. Source
  • Regulatory: The non-GAAP normalized tax rate may be adjusted during the year, including for significant changes from tax legislation. Source
  • Operational: Transaction and integration costs, including those for Sierra Wireless, Inc., are excluded from non-GAAP results; the fourth quarter total was $2.6 million. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: The third-quarter release said cash interest savings would be allocated to R&D; the fourth-quarter release does not restate that plan's status.
  • Met: Management states the fiscal 2026 non-GAAP normalized tax rate of 15% was applied to each quarter of that year. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.